Best Places97601, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97601, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
97601 ranks 22,493rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 97601
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
97601's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97601 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Short commute16.2 minutes each way, better than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 147 pleasant days a year, better than 88% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 85% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 97601 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97601
A household needs to earn about $76,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97601 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $57,272, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 97601's effective rate of 0.69%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 97601
97601's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 97601.
Who works in 97601, and how
Work in 97601 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 12%
Life in 97601
97601 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 66% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 85% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 97601 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 97601, month by month
97601 sees roughly 147 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 32° | 22° |
| April | 62° | 45° | 29° |
| July | 90° | 70° | 47° |
| October | 67° | 47° | 29° |
Flying in and out of 97601
The nearest airport, Rogue Valley International/Medford, is about 55 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 235 miles away.
The best schools in and around 97601
Schools across 97601 average a C−, better than 25% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Roosevelt Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Henley Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Keno Elementary SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Top middle schools
- Ponderosa Middle SchoolC · 31% proficient
- Henley Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
- Brixner Junior High SchoolD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Eagle Point High SchoolA+ · 95% proficient
- Klamath Union High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Chiloquin High SchoolD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97601 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97601 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 97601 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 97601 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 9% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 97601
Is 97601 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97601 ranks 22,493rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, short commutes, and the weather, and lowest on an overheated housing market and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 97601 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $293,822. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $57,272 median income, cost of living beats 15% of zip codes.
Is 97601 safe?
97601 is safer than 41% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $475 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 97601?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 44 with lows near 22. That works out to about 147 pleasant days a year, more than 88% of zip codes.
Is 97601 good for families?
Schools beat 25% of zip codes, crime safety beats 41%, and childcare runs $849 a month.
Compare 97601 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97601. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97601 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
97601 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97601: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97601: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97601: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97601: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97601 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.